Hinges-attached anti-puckering device for the upholstery of sofa beds and the like



Feb. 5, 1957 Filed Jan. 25,

P. w. AKE ETAL 2,779,950 HINGES-ATTACHED ANTI-PUCKEJRING DEVICE FOR THEUPHOLSTERY OF SOFA BEDS AND THE LIKE 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS.Pulge W. Ake

' y John I Lester Feb. 5, 1957 UPHO S Filed Jan. 23. 1953 ERY P. w. AKEET AL 2,779,950 HINGES-ATTACHED -PUCKERING DEVICE FOR THE .A BEDS ANDTHE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. Paige W. Ake

y John T. Lester HllNGES-ATTACHED ANT I-PUCKERING DEVICE FOR THEUPHOLSTERY OF SOFA BEDS AND THE LIKE Paige W. Ake and John T. Lester,Tampa, Fla.

Application January 23, 1953, Serial No. 332,902

7 Claims. (Cl. -57) This invention relates to anti-puckering devices forthe upholstery of articles of furniture such as convertible beds andchairs having reverting backs as, for example, sofa beds.

Manufacturers of sofa beds and the like are faced with the problem that,when the article of furniture, as a sofa bed, is in the back-lowered orbed position, there is a longitudinally-extending depression in theupholstery at or near the center, at the juncture of the confrontingsides of the back and seat and, when the article isconverted to, forexample, a sofa, the upholstering material has an undesirable tendencyto pucker and bunch outwardly at this juncture.

An important object of the invention is to provide attachments largelyassociated directly with the hinges of the article of furniture and withthe upholstery of the article of furniture to cause the slack in theupholsteryto be taken inwhen the article is in a raised-back positionand the slack to be let out when the article is in a loweredbackposition. This obviates bunching or puckering and the formation of thedepression mentioned.

Another important object is to provide such an attachment which issimple in construction and assembly and does not add anything to theoverall depth of the hinge structure. This permits use of the newattachment in combination with the hinge without reconstructing orreassociating the parts of the frame of the article of furniture.

A further important object is to provide the new attachment which, inoperation, requires no direct manual manipulation, since normalmovements of the hinge portions cause operation of the attachment.

In addition, an important object is to provide an attachment asdescribed which is operatively attached to the hinges by making onlyvery minor alterations to the hinges.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following detailed description of the invention, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, forming portions of thisdisclo sure, and in which drawings:

Fig. l is an elevation of one face of a hinge and the new antipuckeringattachment associated therewith, with the parts in positions assumedwhen the article of furniture, shown in vertical section, is in araised-back position.

Fig. 2 is a like view but with the parts in positions assumed when thearticle of furniture is in a lowered-back position.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the other face of the hinge and attachment,showing the positions of parts when the article of furniture, inelevation, is in a lowered-back position.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the major elements of theantipuckering attachment.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sections substantially on their respective lines ofFig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section of a portion of operative connection meansbetween the operating hinge of Fig. 1 and the upholstery of the articleof furniture.

te States Patent 0 In the drawings, wherein for the purpose ofillustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention andwherein similar reference characters designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views, the letter A designates an article offurniture; B, an operating hinge structure associated therewith; and C,the new antipuckering attachment.

The article of furniture A is shown as a reverting-back sofa bed, havinga main frame It? with a pair of horizontally-disposed side frame members11, a seat frame 12, including a pair of side seat frame members 13 supporting a seat structure 14 including padding 15. The article offurniture is also shown to include a back frame 16 having a pair of sideback frame members 17 supporting a back structure l8 including padding19, with the padding l5 and 19 covered by flexible upholstery 20 whichbridges the space 21 between the inner end of the seat structure and thelower end of the back structures and is, as is well known in the art,secured at its outer ends to the seat and back structures.

Briefly the operating hinge B for manual raising and lowering of theback structure of the article A, is of conventional construction andincludes a main supporting bracket 39, for and secured to each sideframe member 11 and this bracket pivotally supports upwardly-extendingfront and rear arms 31 and 32 respectively. The upper end portions ofthe arms 31 and 32 are pivoted to a relatively broad back bracket 33(two of which brackets 33 are secured to the side back frame members 17)at spaced apart locations on the bracket 33, with the pivot member 34-for the arm 31 and bracket 33 also providing a pivot for anupwardly-extending seat bracket 35, two of which are secured to the seatside frame members 13/. An upwardly-extending transfer pawl structure 35is pivoted at the lower end portion thereof to the back bracket 33 andthis pawl structure 36 is fully described in U. S. Patent No. 2,437,949,dated March 16, 194810 Martin Fox et al. for a Sofa Bed Hinge Structure.The pawl structure 36 is selectively associated. with either one of twokeepers 37 and 38 secured to the side back bracket. 33. A projection orabutment 39 is provided, projecting outwardly from the outer face of thebracket 30 and disposed in the path of travel of the front arm 31. Therelative positions of the portions of the hinge B when the back of thearticle of furniture A is raised are shown in Fig. l and the alteredpositions when the back is lowered are disclosed in Figs. 2 and 3. Ofcourse, two hinges are employed with each article of furniture A.

There are two major movements of the parts of the article of furnitureA. First, the seat structure and frame are raised and then, the lowerends of the back and seat frames move forward and the back structurelowers.

Referring now particularly to 4,. the new antipuckering attachment C,insofar as it is associated directly with the hinge B is concerned,includes an elongated arm or link member 49 which may be a rigidsubstantially straight metallic strap or body, provided with apivotaccommodating opening 41 preferably adjacent one end portion and apivotaccommodating longitudinally extending slot 42 extending fromadjacent the other end portion. Additionally, the attachment C includesa bracket member 43 preferably comprising a rigid metallic, preferablyrectangular, plate or body, preferably substantially flat as to itsmajor portion, but one corner portion 44 is formed into an abutmentfashioned by providing a slit or opening 45 in the member 43 parallelingone end edge 46 thereof and bending the material of the member 43 toprovide the abutment for a purpose later detailed. The bent or cornerportion 4 1 preferably extends normal to the rest of the member 43, andis provided with a suitable number of fastener-accommodating openings47. Adjacent the two corners farthest from the corner portion 44 are twospaced-apart pivot-accommodating openings 48 and 49 respectively.

Means to pivotally mount the members 49 and 43 to the hinge B,preferably includes bolts t and 51 extending through suitable openings52 and 53 respectively in the back bracket 33 and seat bracketrespectively with the shanks thereofsecured to the bodies of thebrackets as by welding. The shanks of the bolts and 531 are insubstantial parallelism and extend from faces of the brackets 33 and 35which face inwardly when the hinges B are in use. Surroundim a portionof each bolt shank are sleeves 54 and 55 respectively, upon theoutermost ends of which the members 46 and 43 rest, with suitablewashers 56 and 57 provided, as well as nuts and 5? to cooperate with thescrew threads of the bolt shanks in order to detachahly and pivotallysecure the members 46 and 43 in place, since one shank extends throughthe opening 41 and the other through the opening 49. In addition themembers 49 and 43 are pivotally and slidably secured together by meansof a pivot pin which may be a rivet as with the shank thereof extendingthrough the slot 42 and opening 48. A washer 61 may be mounted upon therivet shank between the adjacent portions'of the members. Obviously, aseparate attachment C, as herebefore described is employed with eachhinge B.

' Operative connection means between the attachment to the hinge B andthe upholstery of the article of furniture A comprises a suitableelongated member 65 which may be a wooden bar extending from one bracketmember 43 to the other bracket member 43, across the back of the seatstructure 14. Attaching means such as screws 66 may be provided, withtheir shanks extending through the end portions of the member 65 wherethe latter abuts the corner portions 44-. To this member 65 may besecured, in any approved way, as by nails 67, for example, a section 6&of flexible material. This may be cloth, plastic, or leather andpreferably extends substantially the length of the member 65 and thenupwardly to the portion of the upholstery 26) to which the upper endportion may be secured such as by stitching 5). The shortest distancefrom the attachment of the section 68 to the upholstery 2b to theattachment of the section 68 to the member 65 is such that when theparts of the article of furniture A, hinges B and attachment C are intheir positions as in Fig. 1, this section 68 will be taut so that therewill not be a bulge in the upholstery, but the section 68 will be limpwhen the parts are positioned as in Fig. 2, whereby the upholstery willnot be drawn r downwardly in the space 21 to form a hollow.

Movements of the member 65 transversely of its longitudinal axis arecaused by pivotal and sliding movements of the link member at? andpivotal movements of the bracket member 43, from their respectivepositions in Fig. 1 to those in Fig. 2. The position of the pivot withrespect to the outer end of the slot opening 42 and the positions of theparts of the hinge B, retains the flexible section 68 taut when the backstructure is up. However, when the pivot on is moved along the slotopening 42 toward the inner end of the opening, the member movesupwardly, thus creating slack in the section 68.

The transition of the member 65, from its position in Fig. 2 to itsposition in Fig. 1, is gradual so that there is no abrupt stretching ofthe section 65 which might tend to tear it or the upholstery 20, or tearthe section 68 loose from the upholstery or member es.

With the anti-puckering attachment C directly secured to the hinges B,there are positive movements of the attachment C, synchronized withthose of the hinges B, and the movements of the back and seat structuresare synchronized with those of the hinges.

Various changes may be made to the form of the invention herein shownand described without departing from the spirit of the invention orscope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a sofa bed, reverting back chair or the like, including a mainframe structure having side frame members, a back and a seat andupholstery extending over the seat and back and over the space betweenthe seat and back; frames for the seat and back, each frame including apair of side frame members, two operating hinges for said seat and back,each including a back hinge bracket and a seat hinge bracket pivotallyconnected together, with the back hinge brackets rigidly secured to theI side frame members of the back and the seat hinge brackets rigidlysecured to the side frame members of the seat; means pivotallysupporting the back hinge brackets to the side frame members of the mainframe structure; a section of flexible material secured to and dependingfrom the underside of said upholstery at said space; an elongated rigidmember secured to the lower end portion of said flexible material; twoanti-puckering attachments for said hinges and elongated member, eachincluding an elongated link member having a slot at one end portionthereof, means pivotally connecting the other end portion of said linkmember to said back hinge bracket, a bracket member for each operatinghinge, first pivot means pivotally connecting a bracket member to a seathinge bracket, second pivot means pivotally and slidahly connecting saidlink member at said slot to said bracket member at a location remotefrom the first pivot means, and means rigidly connecting the bracketmembers to the ends of said elongated rigid member at locations remotefrom the first and second pivot means; said flexible material being tautwhen said back is in a raised position and slack when said back is in alowered position.

2. The combination according to claim 1, characterized in that thepivotal connections of said link members to said bracket members areabove the respective connections of said bracket members to said seathinge brackets.

33. The combination according to claim 1, characterized in that thepivotal connections of said link members to said bracket members areabove the respective connections of said bracket members to said seathinge brackets and remote from the pivotal connections of said backhinge brackets to said seat hinge brackets.

4. The combination according to claim 1, characterized in that saidbracket members are a of plates each provided with a major portion andan abutment portion for an end of said elongated rigid member, saidabutment portion being disposed normal to the major portion.

5. The combination according to claim l, characterized in that saidbracket members are a pair of plates each provided with a major portionand an abutment portion for an end of said elongated rigid member, saidabutment portion being disposed normal to the major portion, the lastnamed means extending through said abutment portion and into saidelongated member.

6. The combination according to claim 1, characterized in that saidbracket are a pair of rectangular plates, the pivotal connections of thebracket members to the seat hinge brackets are adjacent one of thecorners of the bracket members, the pivotal and sliding connection ofthe link members to the bracket members are adjacent each of the cornersof said bracket members nearest the pivotal connections of said bracketmembers to the seat hinge brackets, and the means rigidly conne ing thebracket members to the elongated rigid members is remote from the-twolast-named pivotal connections.

7. A sofa-bed having a seat frame and a h hinge plates mounted on saidscat frame 0 thereof and hinge plates mounted on said ham opposite endsthereof, the hinge plates at each pivotally connected together forrelative mov=m t about an axis between seat and bed positions, realching means for maintaining said connected hinge plates in seatposition, cushion means mounted on said. frames, said cushion meanshaving a juncture line defining the separation between seat and backportions of said sofa-bed when frame,

in sofa position, brackets pivotally mounted on the hinge plates of oneof said frames, a tacking strip carried by said brackets and extendingparallel to said axis, and a pull strip connecting the juncture line ofsaid cushion means to said tacking strip, manipulating arms on the 5hinge plates of the other of said frames, each of said arms engagingwith the corresponding bracket for manipulating said brackets to movesaid tacking strip in a direction away from said juncture line totension said pull strip upon movement of said back and seat frames frombed 10 to sofa position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS BellApr. 7, 1942 Young Nov. 23, 1943 Fox et a1 Mar. 16, 1948 Poskin Apr. 28,1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Austria Sept. 11, 1939 Switzerland Jan. 31, 1934Great Britain Aug. 23, 1923

